Overview
A young woman trapped in her childhood home discovers that her mother's superstitions may hold a terrifying truth.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- irreverent
- eerie
- witty
- halloween night
- dark comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Housebound as an unusually effective horror-comedy that balances genuine scares, gross-out imagery, and confident comic timing.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Kylie’s home detention places her in constant, bickering proximity to Miriam while the house generates supernatural threats.
Miriam’s superstition, Kylie’s skepticism, and the house’s whispers and bumps encourage conflicting interpretations of the danger.
Kylie must move beyond seeing Miriam as merely a nagging overseer and confront her mother as a person with a past.
The film places supernatural menace amid small-town routines, boiled vegetables, gossip, and distinctly New Zealand comic sensibility.
Films like Housebound, and why
The Frighteners
Shares horror comedy, haunted-house suspense, irreverent humor, and escalating domestic supernatural danger.
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
Combines a claustrophobic supernatural setting with black comedy, eccentric characters, and gruesome genre shocks.
The Visit
Blends family dysfunction, ordinary domestic spaces, comic timing, and genuinely unsettling supernatural horror.
Movie Details
- Director
- Gerard Johnstone
- Release Date
- 2014-09-04
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (941)
Cast
- Morgana O'Reilly
- Rima Te Wiata
- Glen-Paul Waru
- Ross Harper
- Cameron Rhodes
- Millen Baird
- Bruce Hopkins
- Ryan Lampp
- Ian Mune
- Wallace Chapman
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, Fandor Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, Midnight Pulp, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Bloodstream, Cineverse Amazon Channel, ARROW
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Bloodstream
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Housebound about?
- A rebellious woman on home detention discovers that her childhood house may be more dangerous—and more emotionally revealing—than her punishment.
- What is Housebound like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Housebound as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Housebound violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Housebound as graphic.
- What did critics think of Housebound?
- Critics broadly praised Housebound as an unusually effective horror-comedy that balances genuine scares, gross-out imagery, and confident comic timing.
- Which films are like Housebound?
- Films with a similar feel include The Frighteners, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, and The Visit.
- How long is Housebound?
- Housebound runs 111 minutes.
- Where can I watch Housebound?
- In United States, Housebound streams on Philo, Fandor Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, Midnight Pulp, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Bloodstream, Cineverse Amazon Channel, ARROW.
